Bryden Pairpoint Enamelware Ewer Mosaic-Glass. American, late 19th century, deep ruby glass ewer with gooseneck spout and handle, imbedded with white, pink, and red frit and glass cane. See photo, page 198, from reference book,’The Pairpoint Glass Story’, by George C, Avila (1968). From The New Bedford Museum of Glass. One of the last types of glass made in New Bedford at the old Pairpoint factory, called Mosaic glass. It was produced shortly before the Gundersen-Pairpoint firm closed in 1957, and possibly also during the brief operation of the successor Pairpoint Glass Co. Which operated until March of 1958 in nearby East Wareham, MA. According to New Bedford resident and glass authority William Pitt, local glass lore holds that’Enamelware’ resulted from an effort to save a bad batch of ruby, which is notoriously prone to darkening when poorly mixed or heated. This certainly might be the case, but no written records are known to confirm the story or to indicate if more than one batch was made. Today this glass is considered extremely rare. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.
